10/30/2007 - AFS INTERCULTURAL PROGRAMS HONORS OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS

2006 Galatti Award Winners Honored at the AFS World Congress

October 30, 2007, New York, NY—AFS honored four of its most outstanding volunteers at a ceremony held today at the AFS World Congress in New York City.

Each year since 1983, AFS has granted the Galatti Award, the most prestigious recognition in the AFS Network, to recognize outstanding AFS volunteers for their dedicated service to the AFS mission of promoting peace through intercultural exchange, and to galvanize the spirit of grassroots community action. The Galatti Award winners honored today were Yasuko Araki from Japan, Nina Crawford from New Zealand, Maria Aparecida de Barros Forini from Brazil, and Franz Greimel from Austria.

With the Galatti Award, AFS recognizes the critical role volunteers play in AFS and the impact volunteerism has on communities around the world. This award is presented annually to AFS volunteers who have provided at least five years of outstanding support to AFS at the grass-roots level.

The President of AFS, Francisco Cazal stated that “Today we thank not only our extraordinary Galatti Award winners, but also all of the thousands of volunteers that give of their time and energy to promote the AFS mission of peace and mutual understanding.”

The AFS network is run by over 30,000 active volunteers in more than 50 countries around the world. AFS’s unique model of volunteer-run programs is rooted in the vision of founder Stephen Galatti who built and transformed AFS from a volunteer ambulance service that served during both World Wars into a global network of partner organizations that now provides cross-cultural experiences to almost 11,000 students each year in the name of peace. Through the Galatti Award, AFS recognizes the critical role volunteers play in AFS and the impact volunteerism has on communities

About the Galatti Award Winners

Yasuko Araki was an AFS student from Japan who traveled to the United States in 1956-57 for her AFS year. Her experience with AFS nurtured a deep understanding of the AFS mission and instilled in her the importance of effective volunteer activities at the grass-root level. She became active as a volunteer for AFS upon her return to Japan. Since then, she has not only served as an AFS Chapter President but has remained active as a volunteer and supported AFS in every possible way.

Yasuko founded the AFS Kyoto Chapter, the oldest chapter in the Western Japan Region. She has overseen and encouraged the work of hundreds of young college volunteers who have engaged in AFS activities. In her 50 years of service to AFS she has given not only of her time but also of her belief in the delivery of the best possible quality services to the AFS population.

Nina Jackalyn Crawford’s involvement with AFS began in 1980 when her daughter went to Japan on an AFS program. In 1980 she joined the South Auckland Counties Chapter and in 1983 she hosted a Japanese student. Since that time she has been totally committed to the mission and ideals of AFS. Her excellent organizational skills and awe-inspiring ability to remember names and faces of those who have passed through AFS, even after many years, have benefited AFS and helped strengthen its profile both in her local community and on a national level. Nina has excellent diplomatic skills and is great at conflict resolution. Her recruitment and support of volunteers has been a vital part of her service to her local chapter and to AFS in New Zealand.

Maria Aparecida de Barros Forini stands out among the more than 1,000 excellent volunteers in Brazil. Her work with AFS reflects the passion and persistence with which she approaches her AFS volunteer activities. She has made her AFS chapter one of the most honored and recognized in Brazil. Maria has established vital and dynamic partnerships in her community, which have tremendously enhanced the experience of the AFS students who come to Brazil. At the same time, this made it possible for many Brazilian young people to make the most of their AFS experience

Franz Greimel was introduced to the AFS world when he hosted a student from the United States in 1987/88. He became an active volunteer and revitalized the volunteer recruitment process in Vienna, growing the number, quality and satisfaction levels of the local volunteer corps. He has also distinguished himself for his fundraising and leadership skills. Thanks to Franz’s dedication, the Vienna chapter was stabilized, the volunteers have been empowered and are eager to live up to the international AFS standards of quality and excellence.